Air gap membrane distillation-crystallization process simulation for energy-efficient water recovery and lithium concentration from brines

IF 8.1 1区 工程技术 Q1 ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL
Karla Pérez , Constanza Bustamante , Daniel Zamora , Elizabeth Troncoso , Simón Díaz-Quezada , Humberto Estay
{"title":"Air gap membrane distillation-crystallization process simulation for energy-efficient water recovery and lithium concentration from brines","authors":"Karla Pérez ,&nbsp;Constanza Bustamante ,&nbsp;Daniel Zamora ,&nbsp;Elizabeth Troncoso ,&nbsp;Simón Díaz-Quezada ,&nbsp;Humberto Estay","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.133823","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The transition from conventional evaporation ponds to direct lithium extraction (DLE) processes in lithium production faces challenges in brine management and freshwater consumption. While the evaporative method loses approximately 125 m<sup>3</sup> of water per ton of lithium carbonate equivalent, DLE requires high-quality fresh water with variable consumption rates. Additionally, several DLE processes require a pre-concentration stage to remove impurities and increase lithium concentration. This work explores simulating and optimizing a membrane distillation and crystallization (MDCr) process design as a solution for pre-concentrating multicomponent lithium brines and recovering freshwater. An optimization methodology based on a phenomenological model is proposed, incorporating NSGA-II and multi-criteria decision-making to design large-scale air gap membrane distillation modules. The performance is evaluated in a continuous plant with energy recovery and heat pump assistance, considering salt crystallization. Results showed that a module with a packing factor of 0.31, 3,595 porous fibers, 7,480 dense fibers, a length of 2.90 m, and an initial velocity of 0.85 m/s, combined with an average logarithmic temperature difference of 19.3 °C, achieved an optimal balance between water production and economic costs. This design resulted in a Capex of 78 US$/(m<sup>3</sup>/y) and an Opex of 4.3 US$/m<sup>3</sup>, with a specific electrical energy consumption of 71 kWh/m<sup>3</sup>, doubling lithium concentration and recovering 50 % of the water. These findings highlight the viability of MDCr technology as a competitive and sustainable option for brine pre-treatment, proving how mathematical modeling and optimization tools, grounded in validated phenomenology, can support the scaling-up of MDCr to large industrial applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"375 ","pages":"Article 133823"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Separation and Purification Technology","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1383586625024207","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

The transition from conventional evaporation ponds to direct lithium extraction (DLE) processes in lithium production faces challenges in brine management and freshwater consumption. While the evaporative method loses approximately 125 m3 of water per ton of lithium carbonate equivalent, DLE requires high-quality fresh water with variable consumption rates. Additionally, several DLE processes require a pre-concentration stage to remove impurities and increase lithium concentration. This work explores simulating and optimizing a membrane distillation and crystallization (MDCr) process design as a solution for pre-concentrating multicomponent lithium brines and recovering freshwater. An optimization methodology based on a phenomenological model is proposed, incorporating NSGA-II and multi-criteria decision-making to design large-scale air gap membrane distillation modules. The performance is evaluated in a continuous plant with energy recovery and heat pump assistance, considering salt crystallization. Results showed that a module with a packing factor of 0.31, 3,595 porous fibers, 7,480 dense fibers, a length of 2.90 m, and an initial velocity of 0.85 m/s, combined with an average logarithmic temperature difference of 19.3 °C, achieved an optimal balance between water production and economic costs. This design resulted in a Capex of 78 US$/(m3/y) and an Opex of 4.3 US$/m3, with a specific electrical energy consumption of 71 kWh/m3, doubling lithium concentration and recovering 50 % of the water. These findings highlight the viability of MDCr technology as a competitive and sustainable option for brine pre-treatment, proving how mathematical modeling and optimization tools, grounded in validated phenomenology, can support the scaling-up of MDCr to large industrial applications.

Abstract Image

气隙膜蒸馏结晶过程模拟用于高效水回收和卤水锂浓缩
在锂生产中,从传统的蒸发池过渡到直接提取锂(DLE)工艺面临着盐水管理和淡水消耗方面的挑战。蒸发法每吨碳酸锂当量损失约125 立方米的水,而DLE需要高质量的淡水,消耗率可变。此外,一些DLE工艺需要预浓缩阶段来去除杂质并提高锂浓度。这项工作探索模拟和优化膜蒸馏和结晶(MDCr)工艺设计,作为预浓缩多组分锂盐水和回收淡水的解决方案。提出了一种基于现象学模型的优化方法,结合NSGA-II和多准则决策来设计大型气隙膜蒸馏模块。在考虑盐结晶的情况下,在能量回收和热泵辅助下对连续装置的性能进行了评价。结果表明,填料系数为0.31,多孔纤维3595根,致密纤维7480根,长度为2.90 m,初流速为0.85 m/s,平均对数温差为19.3 °C的模组在产水量和经济成本之间达到了最佳平衡。该设计的资本支出为78 美元/(m3/y),运营成本为4.3 美元/m3,比电能消耗为71 千瓦时/m3,锂浓度翻倍,回收50% %的水。这些发现突出了MDCr技术作为盐水预处理的竞争性和可持续性选择的可行性,证明了基于经过验证的现象学的数学建模和优化工具如何支持MDCr扩展到大型工业应用。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
Separation and Purification Technology
Separation and Purification Technology 工程技术-工程:化工
CiteScore
14.00
自引率
12.80%
发文量
2347
审稿时长
43 days
期刊介绍: Separation and Purification Technology is a premier journal committed to sharing innovative methods for separation and purification in chemical and environmental engineering, encompassing both homogeneous solutions and heterogeneous mixtures. Our scope includes the separation and/or purification of liquids, vapors, and gases, as well as carbon capture and separation techniques. However, it's important to note that methods solely intended for analytical purposes are not within the scope of the journal. Additionally, disciplines such as soil science, polymer science, and metallurgy fall outside the purview of Separation and Purification Technology. Join us in advancing the field of separation and purification methods for sustainable solutions in chemical and environmental engineering.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信